Peyton Patricia
by fantasyandmagic
Summary: Prue and Andy hadn't spoken of their secret daughter since placing her for adoption. But knowing about magic changes all of that.
1. Chapter 1

**I do** **not know every episode of Charmed by heart, so this may be a little inaccurate. But please** **enjoy**.

Prue's head sprung from her pillow. It had been a terrible nightmare. There was something familiar about the young girl in it; but it took Prue a few minutes to realize who she had seen. "Peyton," she whispered, afraid to wake her sisters.

By the time she was drinking her coffee, the nightmare was far from Prue's mind. There was a big auction to prepare for. Last night's demon vanquish had kept her from staying late at the office so there was a lot more to do. But somewhere in the back of her head, something was pushing at her.

"Morning Prue," said Phoebe, hopping onto the countertop.

"Morning," taking one last sip, Prue set down her mug. "I've got to work."

"Awww, was it something I said?" joked Phoebe.

"Very funny."

"Just trying to brighten the morning."

"What did you do now?" asked Piper.

"Why do you always assume I did something?"

"Because it's always you," said Piper and Prue simultaneously.

After a few seconds of silence, the three laughed. "Have fun at work," said Piper.

"Yeah, have fun at work Prue."

Prue squinted and Phoebe's coffee mug slid a couple of inches from her. "Hey!"

"I've got to go."

As she drove, the something from her dream kept nagging in the back of the mind. It was like she had forgotten to do something. The commute seemed more jammed than usual and her drive dragged on and on. Once she was in the auction house, Prue sighed. It was a relief to be out of that awful traffic. "Rough night Prue?" asked Hannah, her usual mischievous grin spreading across her face.

"Well Hannah, unlike you, I actually have a life. And it really is none of your business."

Hannah huffed as she whipped around and sulked down the hall. Prue let out a little chuckle. It always felt good to get back at Hannah. "Morning Prue," said Rex.

"Morning Mr. Buckland."

"Rex, please."

"Morning, Rex."

"Now that's more like it. Back to work then, shall we?"

The rest of the day went by slowly as she catalogued item after item in an endless line of shipments. None of them were memorable and luckily none were cursed or magical. This was unusual for a day at Buckland's, but Prue didn't care. Maybe it was a good thing nothing witchy was happening today. Being a charmed one was hard work and she could really use a break from it.

That night, Andy called. "Hey Prue, how are you?"

"Fine Andy."

"Good," there was a long pause before he continued.

"Don't tell me I'm involved in another murder case of yours," joked Prue.

"No. I just was wondering if maybe… maybe we could go to Quake sometime, just the two of us."

"Andy, I'm very busy this week, can we talk about this later?"

Prue wanted to say yes. But with her powers being so new, she wasn't even sure it was safe for them to date. What if a demon attacked? How could she keep this secret from him when they are able to read each other so well? The odd feeling that was poking in the back of her mind became stronger. The words "Andy" and "secret" rang through her head. "Peyton," she said. "I forgot about Peyton."

Phoebe was relaxing by the fireplace just downstairs. She knew the most about their powers and being witches. If there was anything to ask about their powers, Phoebe was the place to go. But she would have to approach this very carefully. After all, a secret is a secret. "Um, Phoebe," said Prue, sliding into the cushion next to her.

"Did the great Prue just say um?"

"Hahaha."

Phoebe stuck her tongue out at Prue. "What, can't a girl have a little fun?"

"You know a lot about our powers, right?"

"Oooo, did something happen? Did your powers increase?"

"No. I just have an odd question."

Phoebe scooted closer. "Our daughters will be witches too, right?" asked Prue.

Phoebe nodded. "Well, what if Mom's powers were bound when she had us? Would we still have had our powers?"

"Mom's powers weren't bound when she had us."

"But what if they were?"

"Well, I think that the powers belong to an individual. So yes, we would have had them."

Prue leapt from the couch, and quickly climbed up the stairs to think. If only she had known she was a witch back then!

The next day Prue left before her sisters woke up. She left a note that said she had to go to work early to set up. But Buckland's was far from her mind. She was heading to the station. Though he wouldn't start for a while, Andy would be there. He always went to work when life was bothering him. Prue chuckled. Sometimes things never change.

Andy was standing at the water cooler drinking. The instant Prue came into sight, Andy straightened his posture, knocking over the cooler. He lunged over the water cooler (now spilling water everywhere) and walked up to her. In order to look less goofy, Andy leaned against the wall, his hand supporting him from above his cleared his throat before speaking. "Prue, what are you doing here?"

Morris walked into the station and chuckled a little before walking by, patting Andy on the back, and helping to clean up the mess. "Shouldn't you-"

"They've got the situation under control. Do you want to go talk at my desk?"

Prue's eyes darted around the station. "Not here," she whispered. "Can we go somewhere more private?"

Andy looked at Prue, confused. "Sure. Is the roof okay?"

"Perfect."

The two walked up the stairs in silence. Neither knew what to say. It was a relief for both of them when they finally closed the door, standing alone from the world. "Prue, what is it? Is everything okay? Are Piper and Phoebe-"

"Everything's fine Andy. Really, everyone is fine. This is about…" Prue leaned in close and whispered into Andy's ear. "Peyton."

Andy flung back as though he had been shoved violently. His confused face quickly turned to a scrunched frown. Taking a deep breath, he replied through gritted teeth. "Prue, we said th-"

"I know what we said, but-"

"But what, Prue? Why would you- How could you. God, Prue! Why would you even?! This is…"

"I know, said Prue staring down at the gravely surface.

"Do you Prue?!"

Andy was pacing now, his hands enveloping his forehead as he rubbed it.

"Andy please…"

"NO!"

Andy took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. "You can't just come here and suddenly bring her up. Don't you have enough secrets?"

He pointed his finger at Prue, his anger simmering down. "That's it, isn't it? This has to do with your big secret. How can you trust me about her but not your-"

"Andy please. It's not just my secret."

"No, of course not. It's your sisters' too, right? God Prue, just tell me!"

"I didn't come here for this. I came about-"

"Peyton, I know. It's just… frustrating."

"Andy I know that I have no right. But I need to see her."

"So do I. But I know better. We can't just barge into her life. Not now."

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, you know that."

"I keep the information locked in my desk downstairs. Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure."

The station was back to its daily bustle. This meant they could get things done more privately. "Lover's spat, Trudeau?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Morris?"

They flashed each other a smile as Prue sat down. Sighing, Andy sat behind his desk and unlocked a drawer. He passed Prue a small piece of paper tattered on the ends from being folded repeatedly. "You've been using the information?"

"No. I put it in my pocket, but I just walk by. It's too hard for me."

Prue picked the paper up and scanned it. "That is her current address and her parents' names. I don't have any more than that. I only ask one thing, Prue. Please be careful and really think about what you're doing. Peyton deserves at least that much."

"I will," said Prue, walking toward the door. "And Andy, thank you."

Andy gave her a small nod, a tear forming in his eye.

 **Thank you for reading. Sorry about the Prue and Phoebe banter, that's just howI felt they would interact despite their tension.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I apologize in advance for my character Peyton. I don't have a lot of experience with children that age, so she may be too mature or immature...**

Prue waited until the next day to see Peyton. This wasn't something she could just squeeze into a couple of hours. It was also the weekend, so there was no chance that Peyton would be in school. She had hoped that Peyton would be playing by herself so that the parents could be talked to first.

It took all the courage she's ever had for her to walk to that door. But even then she spent an hour or so pacing. Finally, she just walked over and did it. "Can I help you?"

Her eyes grew wide as she recognized Prue standing there. "Oh wow. Please come in. I assume you're here to see Peyton? Is Andy with you as well?"

"You know who I am?"

"Of course, we've been telling Peyton all about you."

"You have?"

"We felt it was important. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not."

"Please, come on."

The woman led Prue to an area of couches and a few large chairs. Prue slid into the nearest chair. "Andy didn't come. I had to do this alone."

"John will get Peyton and you two can meet."

"Can I speak to you to for a moment?"

John and his wife sat on the couch near her. There were a few seconds of silence before Prue slightly shifted. "I'm not sure how to say this so I will just- I'm a witch."

John and his wife looked at each other and burst into laughter. "We know. The elders chose us to raise Peyton until you were ready. John is a white lighter and I'm a witch myself."

"It's a true honor to be raising the daughter of a Charmed One," said John, getting up.

It was so much more than anything Prue had ever dreamed. When John returned, Peyton was skipping alongside him. She looked just like a younger Prue from a distance. But as she came closer, Prue could see a little bit of Andy in her. There was definitely no mistaking that chin and his striking blue eyes. But Peyton also had Prue's jet black hair and even the mole.

Without a single hesitation, Peyton went right up to Prue and scanned her for similarities.

"Hi," she said, her smile spreading from cheek to cheek.

"Hi," replied Prue.

"Do you have your magic yet?"

"Yes."

Just when you'd think Peyton's smile couldn't grow wider, it did. But then she spotted a vial in Prue's hand and her lips plummeted into a frown. Her parents' eyes dropped to where the vial was slightly visible. "So that's why you came."

"You know what this is?"

"You want to take away my magic."

"It's for the best. I had my powers bound at your age and it kept me safe."

"Demons can't get to Peyton," said John.

"It's not just that. Being the daughter of a Charmed One means powerful magic and I don't think you should bear that burden at your age. And it can be dangerous."

"But it's not a burden!"

"Calm down Peyton," her mom said.

"I just don't want to lose my powers," she said, crossing her arms.

"What if Peyton showed you what she can do?" asked John.

Peyton's face lit up. Before Prue could answer, Peyton whipped around and skipped off to the next room. It had many large stain glass windows similar to the Halliwell conservatory. In the middle there was a small circle of objects of different sizes. "Would you like to see full power or simple?"

Prue was very curious what "full power" meant so she chose that option. All three of the family smirked. Peyton started out slowly by sliding a heavy paperweight across the floor with her hand. While she continued to slide that around with her one hand, another lifted a small dumbbell into the air and twirled it around like a very slow tornado. She then used her eyes to juggle some balls. Prue just stood staring. This was the best use of magic she had ever seen and all from a 10 year old. After a few seconds, Peyton juggled the balls, paperweight, and dumbbell and then gently placed them on the floor.

"Wow," said Prue, unable to find any other word.

Peyton grinned proudly. "So are you going to bind my powers?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"It looks like you have them under control."

Peyton let out a small squeal and sprinted to Prue to give her a hug. Prue was pushed back a little, surprised by her daughter's actions. It was amazing really. In the few weeks that Prue had been a witch, she had seen some powerful magic. But nothing was as controlled and powerful as Peyton's. "How do you move those objects with your hands?"

Peyton let go and walked to the small circle. Inside there was a small ring. She picked it up and set it on the nearest table. "Would you like to try?"

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Mommy, I'm 10 years old and I can do it. You're a Charmed One. Try it. Please?"

Prue was shocked that Peyton was talking to her when she said Mommy. She took a deep breath, a little nervous that she would let Peyton down. After all, she only had her powers for a little while and she can barely control them in their current simplicity. "Take your right hand and point it at the ring. Now close your eyes. Imagine that there is a strong chain attaching your hand to it. The chain is unbreakable and solid. Now, just move your hand a little, and see the chain pull the ring."

Prue concentrated hard and did everything Peyton told her. She jumped when the ring actually moved. It was only a little quiver, but that was something. "That's okay, you will get better," said Peyton, grabbing Prue's hand. "I did."

Peyton's parents were smiling from the doorway. They had a look in their eyes of such pride. It was obvious that they really loved and were proud of her. "And you are really awesome," Prue said squatting down to Peyton's eye level and winking.

"I had really great teachers."

"You sure have," she said looking to the parents.

"Are you taking me to live with the Charmed Ones?"

"No. I haven't quite-"

"They don't know you exist, Dear," said her adoptive mom.

"Oh. I just thought you were- Good, I love my life right now. Especially my school, it is so amazing! You can come see it sometime."

"I don't know Peyton. It's not fair for me to just start showing up. It was you magic that I was concerned about. You have perfect parents and a wonderful life. I don't want to change that."

"It's not fair!"

"Peyton Patricia, you calm yourself right now!" shouted John.

Peyton dropped her head to her chest in shame. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Please come see me sometimes. Maybe you can bring Dad, too?"

"Does he know about…" asked John.

"No," said Prue. "Even if he did, it's too hard for him. He doesn't want to disrupt your life either."

"Well tell him I don't like it and he better get his butt over here!"

"Peyton!"

"What? It's not a bad thing to say."

"I better get going," said Prue.

"Do you have to?"

Peyton folded her bottom lip over to make a begging face. Prue smiled. "Nice pout face. It's just like Andy's was at your age."

"Really?"

Peyton's face sprang into a smile of pride. Prue smiled back and headed for the door. Before she turned the handle, Peyton dashed to her and squeezed tight. "You're an amazing little girl Peyton, I'm so proud of you."

"I love you Mommy."

Prue paused. She had never expected to hear those words. After all, she had given Peyton up for adoption and never came to visit. But there was her little girl staring with big eyes of admiration. "Me too Peyton."

She walked to her car. The moment she closed the door, the tears burst out like a dam opening. But she was surprised by a knock on the door. "Peyton?"

The little girl nodded and opened the passenger door. "Hi Mommy. I just thought you would want a picture. Before you say anything, I will put a spell on it. Then no one else will see us in the picture and wonder who I am. And for Dad, I have my school picture."

Peyton pulled out a camera. Prue smiled and scooted closer. A few seconds after the picture was taken, Peyton held out her hand and it appeared through swirling white orbs. "Neat trick."

Peyton grinned with pride. "Bye Mommy, I love you."

 **I know it's a little bit of a stretch. But I figured that Andy and Prue conceived Peyton just after graduation and kept it a secret from everyone. Andy always kept a tab on her, though and that's how Prue knew to go to him. I also figure that could have contributed to their tension.**


	3. Chapter 3

Andy spent the rest of the weekend thinking of nothing but Peyton. What would she look like now? He tried to picture a mini Prue running around, playing with dolls and whatever else little girls played with. She would twirl around in his dreams, smiling just like Prue. No matter how hard he tried, Andy just couldn't imagine pieces of him in her. Maybe it was from the guilt. He always questioned giving her up. It wasn't the kind of father he wanted to be.

Prue, however, spent the rest of her weekend with a split mind. Half went toward Peyton and the other half toward Andy. She didn't want to face him. How could she talk about Peyton without mentioning magic? But in her dreams, she pictured her life with Peyton if her own powers weren't bound. Would she have kept her? She imagined sitting in the conservatory, sun shining through the windows, her hand guiding Peyton through a magic exercise.

Both dreaded Monday.

 **Sorry it's short, I just thought it deserved its own chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Andy stood outside Halliwell Manor, trying to find the courage to ring its bell. Eventually, it swing wide open and Prue was walking towards him. "Not now, Andy. I'm late for work and Rex is going to fire me if I lose this account."

"I'll walk you out, then."

"Look, Andy-"

"It's only a few feet, Prue."

Prue sighed. Fine."

"How'd it go?"

"Hmm? Oh, Peyton. She has your eyes, and your chin."

Andy clenched his fist. "And the parents?"

"They love her very much. And she loves them."

"I see..."

They had reached the curb and Andy turned away. "She asked about you."

He whipped around, a small smile forming. "And?"

"She wants to meet you."

"I can't, Prue. I just can't."


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't have perfect recollection of every Charmed episode. Because of that, there will most likely be a bunch of inconsistencies between this and what actually happened in the show.**

Prue had forgotten about Peyton when she decided to tell Andy the truth. She just had to know what he thought about magic. But then the conversation turned to their future.

"So when you have kids-"

"If they're girls, yes."

"Is it something you can get rid of?"

"No. Can you accept that?"

"I don't know."

Prue's heart sank. That's when she remembered Peyton. If he couldn't accept the idea of having a daughter for a witch, what about her? Would he pretend that she never existed and go on living life?

"If you can't accept me being a witch, then fine. But what about Peyton?"

Andy's face went pale. "Peyton?"

"Yes Andy, Peyton. You know, our daughter...the one you keep a picture of in your desk drawer. The one with your eyes and your chin. The little girl that you didn't want to give up in the first place."

"What about her?"

"You just asked about when I have kids. Well, Peyton is _our_ daughter, Andy."

"And that means-"

"Exactly. I'm a witch and Peyton's a witch. Can you accept that? Would you really reject her for something she has no control over?"

Andy let out a heavy sigh. "We gave her up for a reason, Prue. And she has a good life with the parents who adopted her... Do they know about-"

"Magic? Yes. They know she's a witch."

Andy flinched. "Peyton's a witch... _my_ daughter's a witch..."

"Yes Andy, _our_ daughter is a witch. Can you accept that?"

"The parents she lives with understand _what_ she is. We've never met. I just don't think..." A few seconds passed in silence. "I don't know what to think, Prue."

* * *

The truth spell was almost over, Prue had to have an answer. Not only for her sake, but also for Peyton. But the answer hurt more than she could ever imagine. "It's just not a future I envision happening," Andy said.

"And Peyton?"

"I'll always love her, but-"

And that was it, time ran out and Prue didn't get an answer.

 **Again, sorry the dialogue and situation doesn't exactly line up with the episode.**


End file.
